Internal-combustion engine



Feb. 28. 1928. 1,660,315

1.. F. BEAULIEU I INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Aug. 24. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig. I

IN VEN TOR.

L.] ?Beaulieu Feb. 28, 1928. 1,660,315

L. F. BEAULIEU INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Aug. 24. 1926 2 sheets-sheet 2.

IN VEN TOR.

LJZ'Beaul tea &2, .152 m:

Q A TORNEY Patented Feb. 28, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,660,315 PATENT OFFICE.

LESTER I. BEAULIEU, OF LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HAL! TO CORNELIUS It. KENNEDY, F LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed August 24, 1926. Serial No. 131,137.

This invention relates to improvements in internal combustion engines, my princ1pal object being to provide an engine of this general character which is arranged to use a dry gas of a combustible nature, a supply of which is carried in that form under pressure for use in the engine, instead of using a liquid fuel and forming a combustible gas mixture with the operation of the engine.

The advantages of an engine capable of using gaseous fuel are many. The heat generated in the engine with its use is very l ttle compared with that had with the use of gasoline and other liquid fuels so that an air cooling system for the engine may be successfully used without danger of over heating. This enables the engine to be made very light and the proper lubrication of the en ine presents no problems, since the 011 1 not be burnt up.

The fuel supply being in an also gasified condition, its weight is negligible and the engine is therefore very suitable for airplane use, since the weight of a liquid fuel sup ly as now carried is eliminated.

hfy engine operates without any appreciable'compression of the ingoing charge being necessary so that there is no heat generated from this cause and no back pressure is developed. Also there is no need of a carbureter or other mixer which requires frequent adjustment and is liable to become deranged. The fuel not depending on air taken from adjacent the engine for its gaseous properties, the engine will operate efficiently whether at sea level or at any altitude.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These ob ects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts, as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding partsin the several views:

F'g. 1 is a cross section through one cylinder of my improved engine with the parts in position just before the exhaust valve opens, and showing the connection of the gais intake with a supply tank and control vave. 7

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the engine with the parts in the positions occupied when the ntake valve is opened.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the preferrc'ied form of throttle or gas control valve use Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a crank case or base member of suitable form in which a crankshaft 2 is journaled in any desired manner. Mounted on the crank case is a cylinder 3 provided with air cooling ribs 4 arranged as is commonly done on air cooled engines. It may here be stated that while I have shown only one cylinder, there may be as many cylinders and the necessary cooperating-parts as may be desired, as will be evident, the cylinders, being preferably cast en bloc. Each cylinder has a'piston 5 of common character slidable therein from which a connectin rod 6 extends to the corresponding crank of the shaft 2.

Mounted in the crank case to one side of the crankshaft is a camshaft 8 driven at the same speed as'the shaft 2 by gearing 9 or other suitable means. shaft is an eccentric 10 by a strap 11. Secured projecting upwardly cra case some distance from the adjacent side of the cylinder is a rod 12. At its upper end this rod has a ball-joint connection 12 with a rocker arm 13 which is pivoted on the cylinder head 14. This head has. an ex haust passage 15 which is normally closed by a spring pressed valve 16 of the common poppet or mushroom type, said valve being arranged to open inwardly of the cylinder. The stem 17 of this valve projects outwardly from the head to be engaged and depressed by one end of the rocker arm when the latter is tilted down at such end by the upward movement of the rod 12 acting on the other end of the rocker arm as the eccentric rotates.

Leading into the cylinder above the top stroke position of the piston is an intake passage 18. This passage communicates with a chamber 19 attached to the cylinder, an intake pipe 20 being connected to said chamber and leading to the same from a cen tral valve structure hereinafter described in detail) which inclu es an outer casing 21.

Fixed on the cam which is engaged to this strap and through the top of the a disposed swings toward the cylinder,

A pipe 20 leads fromthe casing 21 to a supply tank 22 of strong construction in which a supply of the gaseous fuel used (such as Presto-Lite) already mixed with the neces sary proportion of air to render it combustible, is carried sufficient for a considerable period of operation a suitable high pressure. A pressure gage 23 to indicate the pressure in this tank may be applied to the pipe 20 at any suitable point.

Mounted in the chamber 19 to normally close communication between the passage 18 and the pipe 20, is an inwardly opening spring pressed valve 24 of the poppet type. The stem 25 of this valve is horizontally disposed and projects outwardly from said chamber away from the cylinder. A. substantially vertical lever 26 is connected at its upper end to said stem and at its lower end is pivoted onto the top of the crank case, the lever being disposed between the cylinder andthe rod 12 in transverse alinement with the latter.

Adjacentits lower end (which is some distance above the eccentric 11) the lever is provided with a pin 27 which projects toward the rod 12 for engagement therewith and is arranged for longitudinal adjustment in said lever to and from the rod.

The crank shaft and eccentric (whichrotate together and at the same speed) are so relative to each other that as the piston approaches the bottom of every stroke the eccentric will be raising and actin on the rod 12 to actuate the rocker arm an depress and open the valve 16. The rod of course oscillates transversely with the rotatain of the eccentric and the latter rotates in such a direction that with such upward movement of the rod the latter Swings away from the pin 27 so as not to engage the same; said rod swi ing about the relatively stationary ball jomt connection at its upper end as an axis. As'the eccentric descends on the op osite side of the shaft 10, and the rod 12 is owered and the valve 16 closes, the rod 12 oscillates toward the pin 27, until just before the eccentric reaches'its horizontal position on said side the rod engages and presses the pin 27 for an instant. The lever 26 thus causing the valve 24 to be opened. The period of engagement of the rod with the pin 27 is very shortbut is sufiicient to allow a charge of fuel (which as previously stated is already under pressure) to enter the cylinder from the pipe 20. At the same time the rotation of the crank shaft has moved the piston until at the same time the fuel charge enters, the piston is about at the top of its stroke. 'The charge is then instantly fired through the medium of the usual spark plug 28 the cylinder, which spark being controlled by any ordinary form of timer mechanism which may be applied to either the shaft 2 or and maintained under .34 to register projecting into.

8 so as to give a spark for every revolution of the shaft or for every two strokes of the piston.

Owing to the fact that I employ an eccentric to operate the exhaust valve, the rod 12 is always reciprocating longitudinally. To compensate for this feature'the end of the rocker arm which engages the valve stem 17 normally has suflicient clearance from said stem to enable movement of the rod a certain distance on both sides of the bottom position of the eccentric (at which time the valve 16 is closed) to take place without affecting said valve.

The valve 24 is preferably placed adjacent the top of the cylinder so as to shorten the length of the passage 18 as much as pos sible and avoid a relatively great amount of gas being in said passage when the charge is fired, and where it would do no good. The pin 27'is however considerably lower down or nearer to the crank case than is the stem of the valve, in order to take advantage of the relatively great oscillating movement of the rod 12 as it nears the eccentric. This is necessary, since as will be evident, if the stem 25 of the valve were intended to directly engage said rod 12, the slight oscillating movement of the rod at that point would be insufficient to properly actuate the valve. v

The throttle valve preferably used in connection with my engine for controlling the flow of gas to the same includes, as previously stated, an outer casing 21. The pipe 20 leads from the bottom of this casing and the pipe 20 to one side thereof. Turnably mounted in a stufling box 29 provided in the cover cap 30 of the casing and depending into said casing is a stem 31. On the outer end of this stem is fixed a radial handle 32 which may be operated from any desired distance by means of suitable linkage and other connections. Resting on the floor of the casing and having a gas-tight fit therewith is a plate 33 provided with an opening with the adjacent end of the pipe 20. This plate is slidably but non-turnably mounted on the stem, a spring 35 about the stem acting to press the plate constantly against the floor. It will therefore be seen that when the stem is rotated the plate will be likewise rotated to cause the opening therein to be moved into or out of register with the pipe 20, thus controlling the flow of gas from the pipe 20' to the pipe 20 and thence to the engine. pressure of the spring the gas in the casing also acts to hold the plate firmly against the floor, so that the chance of any gas leaking out of the casing and into the pipe 20 is reduced to a minimum.

It will be obvious that the principles here- In addition to the Furthermore no auxiliary starter mechanism is necessary to start the engine.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Havingthus described my invention what claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Operating means for the intake and exhaust valves of an internal combustion engine comprising an eccentric driven at crankshaft speed, a pivoted arm, one end of which is positioned to engage the exhaust valve to open and close the same, a rod pivoted at one end to the opposite end of the arm and operatively connected to the eccentric whereby said rod will have both longitudinal and oscillating movement with the rotation of the eccentric, a member positioned to be engaged and moved'by the rod with the oscillation of the latter and adjacent the end of its longitudinal valve closing movement, and connecting means be tween said member and the intake valve to cause the latter to be opened when said member is thus engaged.

. 2. An internal combustion engine including a cylinder, a piston therein, acrankshaft to which the piston is operatively connected, an exhaust valve, means including a vertical and transversely oscillating rod for operating the exhaust valve, an inwardly opening intake valve having a laterally projecting stem, a lever disposed to one side of the rod pivoted at one end and adapted at its other end to engage the stem, and a projection on the lever intermediate its ends to be engaged by the rod with the oscillation of the latter to a predetermined position.

3. A structure as in claim 2, with means for adjusting the projection relative to the rod to enable the duration of engagement of the rod with said projection to be varied.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LESTER F. BEAULIEU. 

